I had surgery at a university hospital.
I was originally scheduled for surgery in February, but they said the appointment could be moved up, so I had it earlier in December.
The scariest part was when the IV was being inserted. The surgery itself actually wasn’t that scary. I took two breaths and fell asleep, and when I woke up I was in the recovery room.
I went for a consultation because I had a hooked nose, and the professor said that while shaving down the hump, we should also raise the nasal tip. I had only been thinking about shaving the hump, but since the professor said we should do the nasal tip too, I said okay and had the tip done as well. If it had been a private plastic surgery clinic, I probably would have said no if they suggested doing more, but because it was a university hospital, I trusted that they would be conservative, so I think I decided to go with what the professor recommended.
The initial surgical plan was to raise the nasal tip using only septal cartilage, but after the surgery, I found out they had also used ear cartilage. While I was admitted in the hospital room, the professor came on rounds and explained it to me. They said my nasal septum was very deviated, so they straightened all of that out and also used ear cartilage to lift the tip as much as possible.
One side of my nose definitely used to get blocked easily when I breathed, and I hadn’t even mentioned it, so hearing that they had corrected that part made me feel good.
Hmm, but honestly I wasn’t interested in raising my nose, and I had only intended to shave the hump. Since I ended up getting my nasal tip raised somehow, I got worried when they said they had lifted it as much as possible. They say the more you raise the nose, the higher the chance of side effects. And I was worried the nose shape might become short too.
For now, there haven’t been any major issues! The length of my nose hasn’t changed much from before, and I don’t think it became an upturned nose. I had told the professor that I hoped my nose wouldn’t get shorter because I like my current facial proportions.
Since I didn’t really say things like how I wanted it done or what I liked, and only requested, “Please shave the hump” and “Please keep the length,” I think the professor tried to make it as pretty as possible within their own judgment!
After surgery, a resident? fellow? doctor told me the surgery went very well, but honestly I’m only on day 3, so I think it’s hard to say much yet.
I don’t know what private clinics are like, but after surgery I stayed admitted for one day and received antibiotics until the next day. They said it’s good to monitor the progress for about a day after surgery. I think that made me feel more reassured too.
The hospital food was good too. I only had porridge on the first day, and after that I ate regular meals. Oh, since you have to fast for a few hours after surgery, I think it’s good to eat well before the pre-surgery fasting time starts! The day before, I started fasting from food too early, so I was a bit hungry. Still, I was on IV fluids the whole time, so it wasn’t too difficult.
Now I’ve been discharged and I’m at home taking medicine and applying ointment. I have to go back to the hospital in 4 days!
I was planning to write a review after about a month had passed, but after seeing comments and messages asking how it was, I’m leaving a review.
Like 2